About Grace

I study how members of the fossil fuel industry and their allies undermine climate narratives in an effort to block government action at every level and confuse and disempower the public. With this knowledge in hand, I have honed my practice as a climate storyteller, creating stories that push back against decades of industry narratives by centering justice, hope, community, agency, and collective action.

I am the Founder and Student Director of the Climate Hub at UBC, a unique entity combining significant financial and administrative support from the university with a governance structure that allows student staff and volunteers to shape priorities for the Hub and collaborate with stakeholders from across the university and beyond. I’ve published several academic articles on law and narrative. I’m also the author of a hopeful young adult climate fantasy series, the Ava of the Gaia trilogy, and the host of a climate storytelling podcast, Planet Potluck. I’ve given dozens of talks on climate narratives and storytelling, and write and speak about the topic whenever I can. I also came up with the idea for and executive produced Climate Comeback, a short film harnessing the power of sports to bring people together around tangible climate action.

I do most of my work from the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I am immensely grateful to the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded the land and water of so-called Vancouver, Canada since time immemorial and who have been critical front line leaders in the fight for climate justice.

It is crucial to identify and highlight how members of the fossil fuel industry and their allies have shaped and continue to shape our climate narratives and collective imagination to effectively challenge those narratives. I am inspired everyday by the people on the front lines, disproportionately young people, Indigenous peoples, and racialized folks, who are putting their bodies and lives on the line to push the boundaries of our collective imagination and create space for us to build a more just and vibrant future.